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The Simple Present Tense Is Used

The document discusses the simple present tense in English. It is used to describe habitual or repeated actions, general truths, and instructions. The simple present tense is formed by using the base form of verbs, and adding -s to verbs in the third person singular. Questions are formed by using do/does + verb, and negatives are formed by using don't/doesn't + verb. Examples are provided to illustrate its use for habits, repeated actions, instructions, and facts.

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9K views

The Simple Present Tense Is Used

The document discusses the simple present tense in English. It is used to describe habitual or repeated actions, general truths, and instructions. The simple present tense is formed by using the base form of verbs, and adding -s to verbs in the third person singular. Questions are formed by using do/does + verb, and negatives are formed by using don't/doesn't + verb. Examples are provided to illustrate its use for habits, repeated actions, instructions, and facts.

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NOOR AZNI
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© © All Rights Reserved
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THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE IS USED:

To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and
wishes:
I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general
truth)

To give instructions or directions:


You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.

To express fixed arrangements, present or future:


Your exam starts at 09.00

To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.

Be careful! The simple present is not used to express actions happening now.

EXAMPLES

For habits
He drinks tea at breakfast.
She only eats fish.
They watch television regularly.

For repeated actions or events


We catch the bus every morning.
It rains every afternoon in the hot season.
They drive to Monaco every summer.

For general truths


Water freezes at zero degrees.
The Earth revolves around the Sun.
Her mother is Peruvian.

For instructions or directions


Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.
You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to Bedford.

For fixed arrangements


His mother arrives tomorrow.
Our holiday starts on the 26th March

With future constructions


She'll see you before she leaves.
We'll give it to her when she arrives.

FORMING THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE: TO THINK


Affirmative

Interrogative

Negative

I think

Do I think?

I do not think

You think

Do you think?

You do not think

He thinks

Does he think?

He does not think

She thinks

Does she think?

She does not think

It thinks

Does it think?

It does not think

We think

Do we think?

We do not think.

They think

Do they think?

They do not think.

NOTES ON THE SIMPLE PRESENT, THIRD PERSON


SINGULAR

In the third person singular the verb always ends in -s:


he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.

Negative and question forms use DOES (= the third person of the auxiliary 'DO') + the
infinitive of the verb.
He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want vanilla.

Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:


fly --> flies, cry --> cries
Exception: if there is a vowel before the -y:
play --> plays, pray --> prays

Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:


he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes

EXAMPLES

He goes to school every morning.

She understands English.

It mixes the sand and the water.

He tries very hard.

She enjoys playing the piano.

Simple Present Tense


English Grammar Rules
The simple present tense in English is used to describe an action that is regular, true or normal.
We use the present tense:
1. For repeated or regular actions in the present time period.

I take the train to the office.

The train to Berlin leaves every hour.

John sleeps eight hours every night during the week.

2. For facts.

The President of The USA lives in The White House.

A dog has four legs.

We come from Switzerland.

3. For habits.

I get up early every day.

Carol brushes her teeth twice a day.

They travel to their country house every weekend.

4. For things that are always / generally true.

It rains a lot in winter.

The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace.

They speak English at work.

Verb Conjugation & Spelling


We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive (without the TO).
In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.
Subject

Verb

The Rest of the sentence

I / you / we / they

speak / learn

English at home

he / she / it

speaks / learns

English at home

The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:
1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.

go goes

catch catches

wash washes

kiss kisses

fix fixes

buzz buzzes

2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.

marry marries

study studies

carry carries

worry worries

NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.

play plays

enjoy enjoys

say says

Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense


To make a negative sentence in English we normally use Don't or Doesn't with all verbs
EXCEPT To Be and Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).

Affirmative: You speak French.


Negative: You don't speak French.

You will see that we add don't between the subject and the verb. We use Don't when the subject
is I, you, we orthey.

Affirmative: He speaks German.


Negative: He doesn't speak German.

When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb to make a
negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence
(because it is in third person) disappears in the negative sentence. We will see the reason why
below.

Negative Contractions
Don't = Do not
Doesn't = Does not
I don't like meat = I do not like meat.
There is no difference in meaning though we normally use contractions in spoken English.

Word Order of Negative Sentences


The following is the word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English in the Present
Tense using Don't orDoesn't.
Subject

don't/doesn't

Verb*

The Rest of the sentence

I / you / we / they

don't

have / buy

cereal for breakfast

he / she / it

doesn't

eat / like etc.

* Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before
the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO.
For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.
Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't:

You don't speak Arabic.

John doesn't speak Italian.

We don't have time for a rest.

It doesn't move.

They don't want to go to the party.

She doesn't like fish.

Questions in the Simple Present Tense


To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in Spanish
though it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put at the beginning of the
question.

Affirmative: You speak English.


Question: Do you speak English?

You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it a question.
We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they.

Affirmative: He speaks French.


Question: Does he speak French?

When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative
sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence
(because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We will see the reason why below.
We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must,
might, should etc.)

Word Order of Questions with Do and Does


The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or Does.
Do/Does

Subject

Verb*

The Rest of the sentence

Do

I / you / we / they

Does

he / she / it

have / need
want etc.

a new bike?

*Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before
the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO.
For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.
Examples of Questions with Do and Does:

Do you need a dictionary?

Does Mary need a dictionary?

Do we have a meeting now?

Does it rain a lot in winter?

Do they want to go to the party?

Does he like pizza?

Short Answers with Do and Does


In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct questions as follows:

Sample Questions

Short Answer
(Affirmative)

Short Answer
(Negative)

Do you like chocolate?

Yes, I do.

No, I don't.

Do I need a pencil?

Yes, you do.

No, you don't.

Do you both like chocolate?

Yes, we do.

No, we don't.

Do they like chocolate?

Yes, they do.

No, they don't.

Does he like chocolate?

Yes, he does.

No, he doesn't.

Does she like chocolate?

Yes, she does.

No, she doesn't.

Does it have four wheels?

Yes, it does.

No, it doesn't.

However, if a question word such as who, when, where, why, which or how is used in the
question, you can not use the short answers above to respond to the question.

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